Range hoods are used above cooking surfaces to remove grease, common odors and hazardous gases created during the cooking process. Typically, range hoods for domestic use have a pair of motors horizontally installed in a motor housing within the hood body. Each motor drives a fan. The fans draw air from the cooking area below and force it through the motor housing to ventilation piping.
As the vaporized grease in the entrained air travels through the motor housing, some of it condenses on the inside walls of the housing and may accumulate. It is therefore known to provide a cleaning fluid under pressure in order to clean the interior of the exhaust system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,945 teaches an exhaust system in which a cleaning fluid under pressure is used to clean the flue and fan. Further washing fluid systems are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,795,181 and 4,085,735. These prior art cleaning systems are specific to their respective range hood/exhaust duct designs and each relies on an external source of cleaning fluid.
It is also known in the art to place a refillable reservoir within the interior of the range hood so as to provide an internal supply of washing fluid. The reservoir is typically constructed of plastic in order to remove any concerns with respect to rust and is attached to the upper surface of the range hood body, towards the front of the range hood and separate from the motor housing. Fluid delivery means connected to the reservoir deliver fluid under pressure from the reservoir to the interior surfaces of the range hood, in particular the motor housing. The reservoir may be filled through a coverable hole located in the range hood exterior. Once used, the washing fluid and any grease travelling therewith drains to an external grease receptacle.
Because the reservoir is spaced apart from the motor housing, the temperature of the fluid contained within it remains at approximately room temperature. However, cleaning fluid becomes more effective at removing grease as its temperature increases. In addition, there is limited space available to accommodate the reservoir within the range hood body so its size remains limited and it must be refilled regularly.
It is therefore an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a range hood having an increased capacity for cleaning fluid so that the cleaning fluid reservoir need be refilled less often than those of the prior art.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a range hood in which the cleaning fluid is heated above room temperature.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description that follows.